Review: Trash

A children's adventure story that is equal parts fairy tale and slice of life social realism, Trash is directed by Stephen Daldry whose much-loved Billy Elliot serves as a template for this aspirational and inspirational drama.

Billy Elliot set its tale against the 1984 miner's strike in Thatcher-era London. Trash unfolds its Cinderella story in the favelas, shanty towns, and garbage heaps of Rio de Janeiro. The garbage heaps are where 14-year-old street kids Raphael (Rickson Tevez) and Gardo (Eduardo Luis) spend their days, sifting through the mounds of trash to earn a few reals. Money is a huge motivator for the boys and the rest of the poor and uneducated, so the discovery of a wallet filled with some cash seems like manna from heaven.

The problem is the wallet also contains clues to the whereabouts of a huge pile of stolen money and a ledger that would incriminate a mayoral candidate of bribery and corruption. The candidate dispatches Federico (Selton Mello), a cop on his payroll to offer a reward to anyone who can lead to the wallet's recovery. Federico suspects Raphael and Gardo know more than they're letting on; Raphael suspects there's more to the wallet than Federico is revealing, and Raphael is determined to figure out what it is.

Raphael and Gardo enlist the help of fellow slum kid Rato (Gabriel Weinstein), and the three race through the crowded city streets as they follow clues contained in the wallet and evade Federico's grasp. An American priest (Martin Sheen) and a volunteer teacher (Rooney Mara) play small parts in assisting the boys on their quest. It's not all breathless and thrilling foot chases through bustling train stations and into, out of, and atop the clustered houses of the favelas. The boys barely dodge the police bullets and Raphael, in a particularly tense sequence, barely survives the brutalities doled out by Federico.

The main issue with Trash is one can't get a handle on Raphael's motivation for hanging onto the wallet. Is it to hold out for more money, or to do what's right? Both options are somewhat borne out by the plotting, but neither is entirely believable. The fact that the movie is essentially rudderless is masked by the presence of the three young boys - all non-professional, all natural and charismatic performers. Their energy provides the forward momentum for a generally entertaining, often formulaic, well-executed, but not especially impactful film.

Trash

Directed by: Stephen Daldry

Written by: Richard Curtis with additional material by Felipe Braga; adapted from Andy Mulligan's novel

Starring: Rickson Tevez, Eduardo Luis, Gabriel Weinstein, Selton Mello, Wagner Moura, Martin Sheen, Rooney Mara